


Smilin' At Me

by Lapin



Category: The Magnificent Seven (2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, companion fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-18
Updated: 2019-08-18
Packaged: 2020-09-06 22:10:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20298748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lapin/pseuds/Lapin
Summary: "Dude, I need a favor."In which Red Harvest is a better friend to Faraday then he really wants to be, Wild Jack goes for a car ride, and Instagram is abused.





	Smilin' At Me

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Nine Lives](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20296969) by [Hazel_Athena](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hazel_Athena/pseuds/Hazel_Athena). 

> I didn't start this universe, I just rolled with it.

“Dude, I need a favor.”

Idly, Red tosses Blue’s antler for her, and she darts through the yard for it. “What?” He’s got his phone on speaker, sitting in the cupholder of his fold-up chair. 

“Fuck, okay, look, I was supposed to get off at two today, but one of the Big Bosses showed up, and wants a meeting, and I didn’t get much of a choice in the matter.” What this has to do with Red, Red can’t figure out. “But the thing is, I scheduled a vet appointment for Jack, and it’s an important one, about his leg.” And there it is.

Faraday’s dumbass dog had somehow managed to break one of his front legs, and it’s been in a cast for the past couple of weeks.

“It’s at three-forty, but I ain’t getting out of here until at least four.”

“No,” Red says. 

“Red, man, come on!” 

He rolls his eyes, and fights with Blue over the antler for a minute before he manages to get it back, and throw it again. “How important?” he asks. 

“They need to make sure it’s healing right, and they need to do it now, so they know if he needs surgery. It’s a serious thing, man, because if it sets wrong, he might get more fucked up.” Blue has apparently decided she no longer requires Red’s help, because she’s squirming on her back in the grass, the antler in her teeth. “Red, please.” 

Fuck, even he’s not that much of an asshole. “Yeah.” 

He takes Blue for a run first, since it’s getting too cold to leave her in her outdoor pen, and he’d like his place to be in one piece when he gets back. He showers after, and then heads over to Faraday’s, using his own key to get in. If Jack wasn’t in a cast, he’d be climbing Red already, but he’s just slow enough now Red can grab him by the collar and get him into his harness, Jack fighting him the whole time, because Jack is a dick, and fending off Constantine as well. She takes offense to Jack’s whining, but Red takes more offense to her claws, so he tosses the afghan Faraday has on the couch over her until he can get Jack wrangled into the harness. After, he has to carefully pick Constantine’s claws out of the afghan, but better than out of his skin. 

She still tries to bite him, and manages to get her fangs through his jeans. “Yeah, I hate you, too,” he mutters, scruffing her. He’s not stupid enough to trust her not to twist herself around and go for blood, so he lets her go quick.

She hisses at him once she’s free, and scrambles up the shelves Faraday had put into the wall for her, so she can lurk at the top in her sulk box and make menacing sounds at him. He gives her a middle finger, because fuck Faraday and the hellbeasts he keeps bringing home, and then clips Jack’s leash to his harness. 

One of the only places Jack is well-behaved is in the truck, as long as Red keeps the window down for him. Even with the cast, Jack somehow manages to get his head and half his upper body out the entire way to the vet. 

Red has had to take Jack to the vet before, is the problem. It’s why he didn’t want to do this. Getting him into the truck is easy, but getting him out once he sees the vet’s office is another story. Convincing a dog of Jack’s size to do anything he didn’t want to do was about as easy as pulling teeth.

But this time, when he opens Jack’s door, he barely manages to grab the leash before Jack is out of the truck and happily headed to the doors of the new place. 

Well. That’s something. Something fucking weird. Maybe it wasn’t just Faraday’s dick talking when he said this place was good. 

The waiting room is empty, so he’s not too mad about the check-in desk also being empty. There’s a bell though. Like, a legit bell. He hits it, and waits. 

There’s a little Pride flag in the pen cup, he notices, right as he hears someone in the hall. He assumes it’s the desk clerk, but before he can even think about it, the leash rips through his hold and Jack is _gone_, and _shit_.

Jack has taken down the guy in scrubs, snuffing him and slobbering on him. Fuck, this is probably assault, Faraday is going to kill him for letting Jack get in trouble -

But the man under Jack just sort of pats Jack’s flank and then says, “Hi Jack. Good to see you, too.” Jack is already sticking his nose under the guy’s scrubs, and Red takes the opportunity to get him by the harness and haul him off the guy. “Here you go, Jack,” the guy says, handing Jack what looks like a treat from his pocket. “Yeah, I know why you like me.” He looks up at Red, and frowns. “Wait, who are you?”

He’s cute. When he stands up, he’s as tall as Red, with long legs, his dark blonde hair pulled back, with some faded blue dye still visible at the ends. 

_Fuck_. 

“Red,” he manages. The guy just stares at him, and he realizes what a dumb fucking answer that sounds like. “My name is Red. I’m Faraday’s friend.” 

The guy barely even looks at Red, just nodding before grabbing some paperwork off the desk. “Right, Jack is getting his follow-up assessment today. I forgot it was Thursday.” He rubs the back of his neck, pushing his scrubs down just enough Red catches a glimpse of some ink.

"Alright, if you could just take a seat, I’ll get everything set up. He’s with Dr. Cullen today, she’ll be ready for him in just a minute.”

And then...nothing. The guy turns and walks away from Red. 

Jack sits with a heavy thud, his stubbed tail thumping against the floor, panting at Red’s knee until Red scratches his head.

He hadn’t even told Red his _name_. 

Ten minutes later, the guy comes back, and asks Red to lead Jack to one of the examination rooms. “Up, Jack,” the guy says, but offers a treat he pulls out of his pocket to lure Jack up when Jack doesn’t move. “You best knock it off, you know Emma doesn’t like it when you’re being a brat, and we’ve all had a long day.” Jack licks the guy’s arm. “Too bad, boy, I’m out. You’re my last for today. I actually get to see daylight today.”

He finally looks at Red again, but all he asks is, “Can you help me hold him down? He’ll be alright with the x-ray, but he gets antsy during the physical exam.” _Antsy_ is a pretty generous description. This guy is too nice to be real.

The vet comes in right then, not the one Faraday is borderline sexually harassing, thankfully. Red hasn’t even met the guy, and he’s already sick of him. 

“Hello, Jack,” she greets, patting him. “I heard you take Teddy down, per usual. I thought we talked about how rude that was.” 

So that’s his name.

The clerk, Teddy, just shakes his head. “I’ve given up. I’m used to it, by now, and frankly, I’ll take any chance I get to be on my back.” Yeah, Red didn’t need to hear that. “When are you hiring someone?” 

“When we get a good applicant,” she says, but finally notices Red. “You’re new. Don’t tell me this is some kind of joint custody arrangement?” 

“Just a friend,” Red explains, repulsed at the very idea of what she’s implying. He’s never been anywhere close to that drunk. “Faraday had work.” 

“You must be a damn good friend, if you’re willing to wrangle Jack for him.” Jack is still trying to go for the clerk, to the point the guy has to push Jack back before he falls off the table. “I wouldn’t even try if I didn’t have Teddy here.” The damn dog practically has his face up Teddy’s scrubs, but finally, he manages to get Jack mostly back on the table. Red takes a side, forcing Jack into a manageable position. 

“Thanks,” Teddy says to him, rubbing at his face. He still barely gives Red a look. 

That...okay, this doesn’t happen to him. That Pride flag has to be this guy’s, but it’s like he doesn’t even see Red. 

Jack settles down after a few minutes, and Red can back off, leaving them to it. The vet tells him he can sit in the waiting room, and once he’s back out there, he checks his phone. Faraday’s already sent him three texts. He wants to know which vet is looking after Jack, so Red tells him it’s the woman. _Cullen_, he thinks. 

_Vas isn’t there? :( _

_HTF should I know?_

He mostly ignores the next text, because it starts with _He’s over six feet of hot - _, and Red doesn’t care. 

Maybe Teddy already has a boyfriend, or something. That’s never seemed to stop guys from hitting on him before, but Teddy might be the loyal type. Red can’t exactly hold that against him, if that’s it, even if he doesn’t particularly like it in this case. 

It’s been awhile since he was interested in anyone. That’s got to be why this is bothering him. Either that or this clinic has some kind of weird drug in the vents. Might explain why Faraday has been so fucking stupid over the other vet too. He’d blame the Constantine thing on it too, but he’s known Faraday for about twenty years now, and that part at least fits right in with his usual bullshit. Red still vividly remembers Faraday knocking on his door at two am with a broken nose, busted up knuckles, and what could be generously called a dog that was bleeding more than him, a choke chain still on its neck. 

So he really hadn’t been surprised when he’d been woken up at an unholy fucking hour to a series of texts featuring pictures of a kitten and detailing her rescue from a dumpster. He’d been more surprised that someone had let Faraday back into the One Trick Pony. Some door guy had gotten fired that night for sure. 

_You should make Blue an appt_, Faraday texts. 

Not a bad idea, honestly. She hadn’t liked her last vet, and the vet hadn’t liked her either, leading to said vet telling Red that Blue was not welcome back, which didn’t seem fair to him. It wasn’t like she had actually bitten anyone, or even growled all that much. People just got stupid around her because she’s a Husky. 

She is almost due for a rabies shot, he realizes, when he takes a look at the calendar on his phone. And if this vet can put up with Jack and Constantine, they shouldn’t have any trouble with Blue. She’s not the friendliest dog with strangers, even he can acknowledge that, but she’s never been any trouble with getting her shots. 

Someone else in scrubs comes out of the back, leaning over the front desk and checking something on the computer. Or trying to. He’s mostly cursing in Spanish, so Red takes a better look. 

Damn it, he’s pretty sure it’s the vet Faraday is stalking. Dating. Whatever it is they’re doing. Looks like the photos at least. 

It’s confirmed when Jack comes back out and tries to climb the guy, knocking him into the desk. “Down, down Jack! Do you know what Teddy will do to me if you mess up his desk -”

“What are you doing to my computer?” Well, if Teddy seemed out of it before, he’s definitely alert now, slamming his clipboard down on the desk and pushing his way between the vet and the computer. “Damn it, Vasquez, I just got everything back in order after the last time you and Emma decided to mess with my stuff!” 

“I just need the paperwork for Ms. Guiterrez’s dog,” Vasquez explains, holding up his hands and backing off, Jack following. Red gets up to grab him, because this looks like it might turn ugly. 

“Who?” Teddy asks, rubbing his eyes again and putting things back where Red presumes they go. 

“Betsy, the two-year-old Rottie-Retriever mix?” Red’s got a grip on Jack’s harness now, and the vet, Vasquez, gives him a once-over. “Where’s Joshua?” He gives Red another look, and smiles. “Wait, I know you. You’re his friend, Red, right? He talks about you all the time, showed me some pictures.” Of course he has. “He okay? He didn’t tell me he wasn’t coming in.”

Red shrugs. “He had a meeting.” 

The other vet, the woman, is approaching the desk now. She stops at Vasquez’s side, and hisses, “Is he going to snap if I come any closer?” 

“I touched the computer,” Vasquez admits, shrugging. 

“Oh, my god, Alejandro, why would you do that?” He makes a face at her, and the woman rolls her eyes. “Teddy, can you print out Jack’s paperwork for me? Please?” 

Teddy doesn’t say anything to any of them, but the printer goes off, and when it’s done, he sorts through the papers and hands them both a stack. “Here. I am finishing for the day and clocking out. Do not touch my desk, or anything on it while I’m gone.” He turns back to the computer then, and both vets take a step back. 

“Nice meeting you at last,” Vasquez says to Red, before heading off, back to the Rottie-Lab mix, Red guesses. 

The other vet, and yeah, her badge says _Emma Cullen_ along with her credentials and a bar code, herds Red and Jack both further back into the waiting room. “Alright, tell Faraday it’s good news. Jack is healing up fine, and it doesn’t look like we need to worry about any complications. That said, Faraday needs to be more careful about Jack’s weight. I know he’s been limited, but with Jack’s size and age, this is the crucial time to start being vigilant about that kind of thing.” She taps the clipboard with her pen. “Especially since we’re not _entirely_ sure just what breed Jack is, so we’re kind of just looking out for anything as he ages.”

Red eyes Jack, his tail thumping on the floor again, tongue lolling out, drool dripping. The vet they’d initially taken Jack to, after Faraday had sobered up and Red had helped him get cleaned up, had hedged her bets around Jack’s breed being a random cocktail of _big_. 

“If you could just make sure Faraday gets all of this?” she asks, handing over some of the papers. “The prescriptions for Jack’s refills are in this too, they should be ready for pick-up on Monday.” She looks down at Jack. “And how about next time, you leave poor Teddy alone? If he quits, we’re screwed. I can’t even work out how to send things to the different printers.” 

“Anything else?” Red asks. He might not like taking care of Jack, but Faraday adores the beast. 

“I think that’s it. Teddy here will send a follow-up email, and that’ll have all the finer details. I’m having him include a new diet and exercise routine too, while Jack’s recovering full mobility. Other than that, I think we’re all set.” 

His phone buzzes in his pocket; reminder to feed Blue. Knowing her, she’s already sitting by her dish, waiting for him. He had to switch her to a metal dish back when she was less than a year old, and any extra wait time for a meal had her gnawing the supposedly chew-proof dishes to shreds. 

“Need to make an appointment,” he says. “For my dog.” She raises her eyebrows at him, prompting. “She needs a new vet.” 

“What kind of dog?”

“Siberian Husky. Needs her shots updated.” 

“Shouldn’t be a problem,” she says, and looks over her shoulder. “Teddy, could you make an appointment for him? Shots update for a Husky?” Teddy still doesn’t look away from his computer, but waves Red over. “Okay, he’ll take care of you,” she says, and turns to a woman walking in, a cat carrier in hand. “Hey, Reina, how’s Calliope today?” 

Teddy has his face resting in his hands when Red comes up to the desk, but then he sighs into them, and sits back up. “Siberian Husky? How old?” 

“She just turned three.” She’d actually been, as Faraday deemed her, a ‘friendship anniversary present’ from Faraday. The dog he’d taken with him from his parents’ house, Bo, had died six months before, and while Red didn’t like to admit it, he’d been lonely on his own, even in his small house. 

Then Faraday had showed up a few days before Halloween with a bag full of supplies and a half-grown husky puppy, mostly fat and fluff then, claiming he’d won her off a breeder playing poker. _“Look,”_ he’d said, trying to keep her from biting his hand, the puppy squirming to get to flesh. _“She’s a mean little thing, ain’t she? Figured you two would get on like a house on fire.”_

He hadn’t exactly been happy that Faraday had just sprung a damn dog on him, but by the end of the night, when he had stretched out on the couch, she had crawled up on to his chest and gone right to sleep. Grudgingly, he’d finally named her, and that was that. 

“Is she up-to-date otherwise, and do you have hard copies of her records?” Teddy asks, clicking through a screen. 

“Yeah.” 

“Okay, your name?” 

That’s just insulting. He’s never had a sober man forget his _name_. Teddy’s got to have a boyfriend. “Red Harvest North.” Even that doesn’t get a reaction, which has also honestly never happened to him before. 

“And her name?” 

“Blue Skies.” 

Teddy frowns. “Like the song?” Red’s too surprised that Teddy gets the reference to do much more than nod. “I like that. Alright, is the eighteenth at ten am good for you? It’s a Saturday.” Red nods, and Teddy scribbles it down on the back of one of the business cards in the stand on the desk, then hands it over. “Just bring her records when you come.” 

Red takes the card, and steps outside, Jack already making for the truck, hurrying Red along. Once they’re both in though, Red taps the steering wheel, frowning at the card. All Teddy had written down was the appointment date and time, in black pen, a slash through the zero on the ten am part. 

“What the fuck?” he asks out loud. 

Jack scratches at the window, because Jack is a dog, and not a particularly bright one, no matter what Faraday says. Red puts the window down though, because between Blue and Jack, the door interior is already on its last legs.

He decides to spend the weekend with the door on his workbench, tearing the damaged interior out. In the process, he finds a ring of keys he recognizes, and when Faraday wanders in with Jack, he throws them at Faraday. 

“Dude, I knew I hadn’t lost them!” He lets Jack off his leash, and the behemoth wanders through the open door into the house. Red hears him fall over onto the kitchen floor, where he usually ends up in Red’s house. Blue looks up from her mat, and follows after him, probably to guard her food bowl. “Door torn up again?”

“You owe me fifty bucks,” Red tells him. 

“Going to have to take an IOU, I ain’t got no cash on me,” Faraday says, grabbing a beer out of the garage fridge. “Want one?” Red nods, so Faraday sets one on the workbench too, before grabbing one of the folding chairs from the wall so he can sit down. “Vas says he saw you at the clinic. What’d I tell you? I didn’t know they made vets that hot outside of porn.” 

Red doesn’t look at him. “What porn are you watching?”

“Yeah, I realized how wrong that sounded as I was saying it,” Faraday concedes. “I know he’s not your type, but even you got to admit he’s damn fine looking.” He really isn’t Red’s type, but yeah, Faraday has a point. He can’t tell him that though, so he just shrugs and takes a long drink of his beer. “C’mon, man, I want you to like him. Can you try to not hate...everyone beyond me...for like...five minutes?”

“Who says I like you?” 

“You ain’t killed me and tossed my body in the river yet. I take that as a good sign.”

“It means you owe me fifty bucks.” 

Faraday flicks his beer cap at Red, but hits the workbench. “Please?”

“Why do you care?” 

“Because I like him. A lot.” This sounds like emotions are about to get involved. Red doesn’t do emotions. Not this early on a Saturday. “More importantly, he likes Jack and Constantine, and they like him.” Red rolls his eyes, but Faraday snaps his fingers at him. “Don’t be making that face. I know damn well the reason you ghosted that guy Jasper was because Blue didn’t like him.” He’s not wrong. “Also, the hair thing.” Still not wrong. Jasper had kept trying to get Red to cut his hair. “So…?”

Fuck. “I talked to him for five seconds.” 

“Did you use actual words?” He can’t remember. Doesn’t really care either. “Alright, I got a proposal. I was thinking a cook-out. I’ll invite our friends, and Vas will bring his friends. You can bring Blue, and sit and try to like Vas.” 

This sounds like a set-up, but Red can’t think of a reason to say no. He doesn’t even want to not like Vas. The guy hasn’t actually done anything to piss him off, and if he’s been subjected to Faraday drunk, Jack at his worst, the demon that is Constantine, and _still_ wants to date Faraday, Red can’t hate him without a reason. 

“Who are his friends?” Their own friends are a mixed-bag of insanity on a good day, but Red’s used to them. He doesn’t always do great with new people. 

“People he works with,” Faraday says, raising his hand when both dogs pad back out into the garage. Blue flops down by the workbench, her nose touching his boot, but Jack goes right to Faraday, rolling over on his feet. “Hey, boy, you’d like that, huh? You’re not allowed to tackle Teddy at the house though. Pretty sure that’s going to finally cross the line for him.” 

Red looks at Faraday. “The desk guy?”

“Yeah, him and Vas, and the other vet, Emma, they started the clinic together, couple of years back.” He gets a foot free, and starts rubbing Jack’s belly with it. “They’re alright. Emma’s kind of high-strung, and Teddy’s kind of a pushover. Like, actual pushover. Not that I’m arguing, ‘cause I’m pretty sure he could file some kind of assault charges against me and Jack by now.” He leans over and grabs one of Jack’s flailing paws. “Huh, boy? Yeah, you just really like Teddy, right boy? But he gets that.” 

“You ever think maybe you shouldn’t let Jack do whatever the fuck he wants?” He’s asked Faraday this before. “He’s a big dog.” 

“He’s mush,” Faraday argues, still playing with Jack’s paw. “Aren’t you, boy?” Jack wags his tail harder, his tongue splayed on the floor now. “‘Sides, people are more scared of you, Miss Bluebell.” 

Blue lifts her head a little when she hears her name, but doesn’t get up. 

“People think Blue is Balto,” Red says. He has to be careful when he takes her to the park because of it. He didn’t even think kids still watched that movie, but he always gets kids coming up to her. Usually the parents have more sense, and keep their spawn back until Red says it’s okay to pet Blue, depending on her mood. 

Faraday scoffs. “Don’t let people tell you that, Bluebell. You’re much prettier.” He whistles, and Blue gets up, trotting over to Faraday. “Yeah, pretty girl. You look like the Wolf Spirit, don’t you girl?” He scratches her neck, and Blue sits, almost on top of Jack, Faraday’s giant dog squirming to get out of her way. “Yeah, tell your dad calling you Balto is an insult, considering how much I paid for you.”

“You won her,” Red reminds him. 

“On a thousand dollar pot,” Faraday points out, which, yeah. Fair. Blue might have a less than ideal personality to be a good fit with most people, but when Red had looked up how much a pure-bred husky pup with her coloring was worth, she’d of easily cleared that thousand dollar debt. “So? Cook-out?” 

There’s no good reason to say no. If Faraday’s serious about this guy, serious enough he’s actually asking Red this and even inviting Vasquez’s friends over, then Red’s going to have to get used to this guy. 

“Fine.” 

“Sweet,” Faraday says, sitting back up. “Don’t make that face. You know the one I mean. You’ll like Vas, I promise.” He’s never made that promise before. Usually when Faraday was fucking around with someone, he just asked Red not to say anything to scare them off before Faraday get bored on his own. “People he works with are cool too. You met Emma, for a minute. And Teddy, obviously. I don’t think that guy goes home.” 

“Boyfriend doesn’t miss him?” It’s out before Red can stop himself. An unfortunate side effect of being exposed to Faraday too long. 

“He doesn’t have one.” He’s busy playing with one of Blue’s ears, not looking at Red. “He could definitely use one. Guy needs to get fucked, you ask me. I told Vas I could hook him up with someone, but no dice.” 

Red might like Vasquez already. “Smart.” 

“Whatever.” After a pause though, Red knows he’s busted when Faraday asks, “Why’re you so interested in whether or not he’s keeping a boyfriend happy?”

“I’m not.” 

No one else but Faraday would know to push it further. “You wouldn’t have remembered his name if you weren’t.” Red doesn’t look at him. Faraday’s known him long enough he can read Red’s face better than almost anyone, and he’s already shown too much of his hand. “Oh shit, he is kind of your type, isn’t he? You always liked the nerdy guys in high school.” 

“I didn’t like anyone in high school.” He had hook-ups in high school, and that was it. “I put up with you.” 

“Because we had a sacred bond,” Faraday says, waving his hand. “Also, a blood pact.” He shows Red his palm, where the scar is still visible. 

“I didn’t think you’d actually let me stab you.” Red had only been sort of serious when he’d suggested it. He hadn’t realized Faraday’s reputation for being fucking insane had actually been true. 

“Dude, we were hiding from the cops and some serious felony charges. I’d probably have let you cut off a finger. And you cut yourself first!” That had mostly been just to freak Faraday out, so he’d keep his mouth shut about that night. Red hadn’t been looking to get ratted out. He’d already had two strikes on his juvenile record by then.

Then Faraday had confessed that the light show under the cop cars had been him, and since Faraday had already worked out just what Red had been up to that night, the blood pact had seemed the right way to end the night. 

Well, it had ended with him sleeping on the floor in Faraday’s room after Faraday’s mom had taken one look at them both, and gone, “Lord, I don’t even want to know.”

“Don’t change the subject,” Faraday says. “That why you’re asking about a boyfriend? ‘Cause of what happened with that one guy?” Red rolls his eyes at Faraday’s tone. It wasn’t like it was Red’s fault the guy turned out to have a boyfriend. It sure as fuck wasn’t his fault the boyfriend was a stupid drunk that thought picking a fight with Red was a good idea. “You’re in the clear this time, man. Hell, Blue will probably even like him.” 

Red decides to take a break from the door, and pulls out another folding chair, sitting beside Faraday. “Guess she’ll meet him at her appointment.” And maybe by then, Red will be over this bullshit. 

His truck decides to get on its own bullshit the day before the appointment though, the brake light going on when he’s two blocks from the house. It’s probably a leak, which he can fix, but not before the next morning. 

He calls Faraday for a ride, and really, he doesn’t know why he’s surprised when Faraday decides to hang out in the waiting room with him. 

“Hey, Teddy,” Faraday drawls, hanging over the front desk. “We’re here for Miss Bluebell’s appointment.” 

“There’s no Bluebell here,” Teddy replies. He doesn’t look up from the computer. Not even once. 

“Blue Skies,” Red corrects, shouldering Faraday out of the way. “Siberian Husky?” 

“Right…” He clicks through some screens. “You’re Red Harvest North?” 

Before Red can say anything, Faraday inserts himself back in the conversation. “Yep, that’s Red, here. You, uh, you didn’t meet him when he brought Jack in for his check-up?” _Fuck_, this all about to get really fucking annoying. 

“Sure, yeah,” he mutters, then clicks on something, and the printer sounds. He takes the pages, puts them on a clipboard with what looks to be the standard form, and hands it over. “Just fill that out, and include the hard copies of her previous records.”

Red takes it and leads Blue to sit down, giving Faraday a look so he follows instead of stirring up more shit. 

It’s too much to ask of Faraday that he keep quiet for long; as soon as they’re sitting, Faraday is snickering, playing with Blue’s ears and hissing, “Ho-lee shit, girl, did you see that too?” 

He’s not playing this game, so he fills out the paperwork. The questions are mostly easy, and if they’re not, Blue’s old vet may have hated her, but they kept clear records. He doesn’t like it when he notices that some asshole had written _aggressive_ in the blank space under _Behavior_. He’s not as delusional as Faraday is about his dog, but Blue’s not aggressive. 

A woman holding a ball of fluff that might be a dog or a cat, Red can’t tell, follows Teddy to the door. “Yes, Hayden, I will email you and Sophie the details. Ms. Haverford has very good references, and reasonable rates.”

“You’re sure?” She pets the thing in her arms. It’s a dog, Red’s pretty sure now, because it wags its tail. “Sophie and me just really think this is the only thing that’ll help Meesha at this point. I know it’s not the only problem, but all that negative energy is not helping.”

“I’m sure,” Teddy says, and holds the door open for her. As soon as she’s gone though, he buries his face in his hands and says, “God help me, please.” 

“Problem there, Suzy Q.?” Faraday calls, because he’s Faraday, getting Teddy’s attention. 

He doesn’t even look over. “I just had to recommend a psychic to exorcise the ghost of that woman and her wife’s dead parrot. They’re convinced it’s haunting their dog.” He inhales. “And don’t call me that.” He finally looks at them. “Where’s Jack? He doesn’t have an appointment, does he?”

“Nope,” Faraday says. “I just gave Red a ride. Bluebell here has her first appointment. She’s Red’s girl. Remember, my buddy, Red?” He did that on purpose. Red’s going to hurt him as soon as there are no witnesses. 

There is something being pumped through the vents, there has to be, because Teddy walks over, kneels in front of Blue, and for the first time since Red can ever remember, she doesn’t treat a stranger like they’re beneath her. 

“Aren’t you a pretty girl,” Teddy says, and holds out a hand. Blue ducks her head under it so he can scratch her ears, and Teddy finally makes an expression that isn’t exhaustion or irritation. He _smiles_, digging his fingers into Blue’s scruff. “And sweet, too. You’ll be a welcome break for Dr. Vasquez. Meesha went for his fingers again.” 

He knows Faraday is watching him, but it’s just...been awhile. Jasper had been the last guy he’d been sort-of seeing, and it’s been six months since Red ghosted him. He hadn’t even really been Red’s type, but he’d been convenient. 

This guy _is_ Red’s type though. And now his dog likes him. 

“Blue Skies,” Teddy says. “I like that song.” When Teddy stands up, he takes the clipboard when Red offers it and goes back to his desk. 

Red elbows Faraday. Hard. 

“I didn’t even say anything,” Faraday hisses. “But, man, I _so_ want to. Has this ever happened to you before?” He gets more in Red’s space. “Ever?” Red’s not answering that. “Come on, man, don’t make that face. You’ve just finally had a hard dose of the real world. The one the rest of us live in.” He shakes Red’s shoulder, so Red looks at him. “This feeling you’re having? It’s called _rejection_. Here, I’ll look up the definition for you -”

“I’m the only person who would know to report you missing,” Red reminds him. 

“And I’m the only person who’s willing to be your alibi,” Faraday points out. “Billy and Goody don’t love you like I do, and Sam and Jack have _ethics_.” Like that’s ever stopped them from asking for certain favors from himself or Faraday. Probably would stop them from providing Red with an alibi though, if and when he needs one.

He’s saved, so to speak, by Vasquez, of all people. He comes out of the back, and all of Faraday’s attention goes right to him. 

“Who’s next?” Vasquez asks Teddy, but he’s smiling at Faraday. “Teddy’s still upright, so you can’t be here for Jack, _guero_.” Red just catches Teddy rolling his eyes at that. He doesn’t blame him. Jack’s a heavy motherfucker. “It’s a little early for you to be taking me to lunch. And I’ve got a patient.” 

“Wouldn’t happen to be Miss Bluebell here, would it?” Faraday asks, scratching Blue’s ears. 

“Would that be Miss ‘Blue Skies’?” Vasquez asks, taking a clipboard from Teddy, and coming over. “Hello, there. You’re a beautiful lady, aren’t you?” 

Whatever is or isn’t in the vents has apparently worn off; Blue doesn’t relax at the flattery, instead standing up and circling back so she’s sitting at attention, right at Red’s feet. “Easy,” Red orders quietly, and she drops her ears from full point. “Good girl.” 

Vasquez looks a little more cautious now, flipping through Blue’s paperwork. “This says she can be a little aggressive?” 

“Nah,” Faraday interrupts. “That’s just her face. Blue’s a sweetheart.” 

“Forgive me, Joshua, but you said the same thing about Jack. _And_ Constantine.” Red smirks. At least someone else recognizes what a little hellbeast that cat is. 

“Jack and Constantine are great,” Faraday protests, but then he looks at Red, like Red’s going to help. 

“Jack ate a hole in my fence,” Red reminds him. Granted, Jack hadn’t gone more than six feet out and another six feet down, having dug a hole big enough to bury himself in, but still. 

Faraday makes a face at him. “Dude, I fixed it.” 

That’s not the point, but there’s no convincing Faraday that his animals are both objectively terrible. His household only works because Faraday is also objectively terrible. 

“Blue’s not aggressive,” Red says. “She doesn’t like strangers.” 

“First time I held her, she was only ten pounds of fluff and teeth, and I got real well acquainted with those teeth,” Faraday says, grinning. “But once she worked out I was friend, not foe, we were good. Right, Miss Bluebell? You know Vas is a friend.” 

Vasquez still doesn’t look all that reassured, which grates at Red. It’s not like he can blame the guy for not taking Faraday at his word, but Blue’s his dog. But the guy still nods, and gestures for Red to follow him to the back, saying, “Teddy, with me,” as they go. 

He can feel Faraday’s stupid fucking smirk without looking back. 

In the exam room, Blue slows, staying closer to Red. Vasquez is looking over the paperwork, and whatever Teddy gave him. He shows something to Teddy, and Teddy starts prepping for whatever they’re about to do. Red kneels by Blue, kneading her scruff, trying to reassure her. “Jack likes it here,” he tells her. “And the little demon even let them look her over. They’re not going to hurt you, promise.” 

She doesn’t relax much, her tail curled around her feet instead of out. But Blue’s well-trained, and she trusts him, so when he stands up and eases her onto the table, she goes without a fight. “Good girl,” he praises her. 

“She really is beautiful,” Teddy says, reaching out to pet her flank. Blue’s tail wags a little, even if she keeps her head down on her paws. For Blue, that’s insanely friendly. “I’ve never seen one with her exact coloring. Where did you find her?” 

“Joshua won her for him, playing poker,” Vasquez answers for him, surprising Red. “I don’t usually advocate puppies as surprise gifts, but this time it seems to have worked out.” He checks the clipboard again, then grins at Red. “Not seeing a whole lot of aggression, but maybe that’s just because it’s you, Teddy. You should go back to school, be a real vet.”

“What I should be doing is taking a vacation,” Teddy says, turning and rubbing the back of his neck, pushing his scrubs down enough that Red gets another look at the tattoo. Looks like some kind of watercolor design. 

Vasquez shines a light in Blue’s ears, Blue tilting her head when he nudges her. “As soon as we hire and train someone, Teddy, I promise you are getting a long weekend.” He scratches Blue’s ears, clicking off the light. “Maybe we’ll get you a nice gift basket, yeah?”

“And maybe I won’t report you to the labor board.” 

Definitely some kind of watercolor, on top of a stark black outline Red can just make out the beginning of, but not enough to guess at what it is. Probably not his only one though. Spine is a painful spot. Not a lot of artists would do a first tattoo there, or at least not something as difficult as a watercolor. Red hadn’t started any work there himself until a year back. 

Blue huffs, so Red glances back down at her, checking. 

Vasquez is looking at him. He raises his eyebrows at Red, then glances at Teddy and back at Red. It’s about as embarrassing as it should be, and worse, it has the side effect of reminding Red that Vasquez is Teddy’s boss, because Teddy is _at work_, and Red’s kind of being a creep. 

There has got to be some kind of drug in the air vents. 

The appointment is pretty quick, overall, and Blue doesn’t make any trouble, even if she doesn’t seem all that happy by the end of things. He’s definitely going to be making this up to her later, if the way she’s dragging once she gets down off the table is any hint. 

But she perks up a little when Teddy kneels down in front of her again, praising her too quietly for Red to hear over whatever Vasquez is doing behind him. She seems to like it, whatever it is. 

“I really do like her name,” he says, to Red, looking up at him. 

“Song came on when I decided to keep her,” Red says. It’s not really much of a reason. His grandfather had liked Willie Nelson, so he’d grown up listening to the song. Liked it, even if it was kind of dumb. “It fit.” 

“Blue and Red,” Teddy says, smiling again. “That’s a little funny.”

It’s as dumb as the song, but yeah, Red had kind of thought it was a little funny too. “Should have heard what Faraday said.” 

“Yeah, well, he named his cat after an Uber driver,” Teddy points out. “I’ll give him credit for following through.” Red doesn’t know what he means. He vaguely remembers Faraday mentioning why he’d named the damn cat that, but honestly, Red kind of wants Teddy to keep talking to him. “He didn’t tell you?” Red shrugs. “He came in here at like, three in the morning, looking like he’d been half-drowned, and smelling like it’d been done in a whiskey barrel.” Most of that Red either knew or could have guessed. “I was thinking he was aiming for the 7-11, but then this guy leans in, Greek, I think, points at him, and says ‘he has cat’. Think your friend spent a good fifteen minutes telling me what a great guy that driver was, and how he’d promised to name her after him. Took that fifteen minutes and more for him to finally get her out of his hoodie pocket. Another fifteen to get the lobby mopped up.”

“And you got more than enough gossip to keep yourself entertained for the rest of the night,” Vasquez says. “So I don’t know why you’re still complaining. Now go make the printer obey.”

Teddy huffs, but listens, petting Blue again before he leaves. 

Faraday is still in the waiting room, but he’s found someone to pay attention to him; a kid, about five or six, who’s got her eyes glued to the cards in Faraday’s hand. When Faraday pulls whatever card the kid must have chosen out from the kid’s puffy ponytail, she stares, asking, “How did you do that?”

“It’s magic, sweetie,” the guy who must be the kid’s dad, sitting with a puppy on his lap, says, looking up from his phone. “If he explains it, it’s not magic anymore.” 

The kid looks skeptical, but she follows her dad when the other vet calls for them. 

“I’d be a great dad,” Faraday says to Red. 

There’s a thought Red could have gone his whole life without considering. The animals are bad enough. “No,” he says. 

“Aw, c’mon, you’d love being an uncle.” He insists. “You’d have to like _my_ kid.”

Red shrugs. As far as he’s concerned, he doesn’t have to do anything he doesn’t want to do. Besides, if Faraday’s managed to knock anyone up, they haven’t said, not that Red would blame them. Then again, there haven’t actually been a lot of women in Faraday’s life, from what Red can remember. For whatever reason, women usually saw through his bullshit a lot faster than any men did. 

In any case, it looks like Vasquez is keeping him plenty busy for now; the vet is clearly done with Red and Blue, putting his hand on the back of Faraday’s chair, and asking, “So, you going to take me to lunch, then?” 

Blue is about as interested in them as Red is, but unfortunately, his dog _is_ interested in following Teddy to his desk. It never occurs to her he won’t follow along, judging by how she doesn’t even wait for him. 

“Sorry, girl, I don’t know what you’re allowed to have,” Teddy says, when she starts nosing at his pocket, which she definitely is trained not to do. 

“Blue, no,” Red commands, and she sits, but still shuffles forward a little. He snaps his fingers down by his hip though, and she sits up straighter. 

“You must have put a lot of time into training her,” Teddy says, scratching her ears before sorting through paperwork. “That’s important with her breed though. Huskies tend to have a mind of their own if you let them. She’s real well-behaved, though.” 

“When she feels like it,” Red says. 

Teddy pushes at her muzzle, because Blue has taken the opportunity to start nosing at his pocket again, the brat. “I can see that.” He’s smiling though. 

Damn it, this is probably a good opportunity to say something. Anything. For all he’s made fun of Faraday for his constant need to hit on everyone, even Red has to admit he can usually get a number out of someone. Red’s never had to try before. He shouldn’t even be thinking about trying. This is the guy’s job, and he’s barely given Red a second look.

Just like that, the moment is gone anyway. Someone else comes in with a golden retriever wearing a cone, and Teddy’s checking them in. 

He doesn’t even get a minute of silence once they’re in the car. 

“This is definitely in my Top Five Greatest Days Ever,” Faraday says. 

Red looks at his phone. “Why?”

“You’re really going to go with playing dumb?” Red doesn’t look at him. “C’mon, man, you know that’s not going to work with me. You were checking him out.” He leans back through the seats. “Wasn’t he, Miss Bluebell? Yeah, your dad’s always had a thing for the dorky twinks.” 

He can’t even argue with that now. “He’s not interested,” he says, instead. 

Faraday huffs. “He’s at work, dude. Even Vas watches himself with me when we’re in the clinic. And no offense, Red, but you know you’ve got Resting Murder Face.” He must be projecting _go fuck yourself_ loud and clear, because Faraday reaches over and pokes at Red’s jaw. “You just gotta wear something sleeveless next time. The biceps tend to do the talking for you.” 

This time, he says, “Go fuck yourself,” out loud. 

“Don’t need to. Got myself a hot boyfriend.” Red doesn’t have a response for that, or at least not one that’ll shut Faraday up. 

Faraday helps him fix the truck’s brake line when they get back to the house. With two people, the truck ends up being an easy fix, so they both end up lying around in the living room, the TV on, but mostly as background noise while Red dozes and Faraday fucks around on his phone. 

“Dude, you’ve got fans,” Faraday tells him, after awhile. Red cranes his head to look at him, asking silently. “Vas’ sisters started following me on Instagram. Was mostly ‘cause they’re nosy and like torturing him, plus Jack and Constantine are pretty damn cute.” Red waits for Faraday to get to the point. “But they’re big fans of you, man. I posted this like, fifteen minutes ago.”

He shows Red the pictures he’s posted of the day, and one of them is Red with his shirt off, looking at something, he doesn’t remember what. But it’s already got a whole conversation going on under it, one with a lot of emojis. 

There’s no point in telling him to take it down, and since Red doesn’t know any of them, he couldn’t give a fuck what they have to say. 

After Faraday takes off though, he does take a look on his own phone, bored enough to be curious. If he had to guess, most of the sisters in question are still in school of some sort. Too many damn emojis. None of them are saying anything he hasn’t heard before, but it is entertaining when he sees Vasquez came into the conversation at some point, after one of them tagged him. 

He scrolls through Vasquez’s own Instagram, trying to get a better read on the guy. He’s going to have to talk to him at this damn cook-out at some point. There’s not much to find though, or at least nothing useful to Red. Lots of pictures of animals. Lots of sketches. A park Red guesses he goes to. The vet’s office. 

He’s tagged some people in the office pictures. Red guesses that ‘ginger-daywalker’ is the woman vet, Emma Cullen, so that must mean the other name is Teddy. 

He’s possibly going into ‘creepy’ territory, but Faraday’s invited Teddy to the cook-out too. So this is probably okay. 

Teddy likes to go running. Takes a lot of pictures of the trails in the area, a lot of the same ones Red likes. Ran the Color Run back in May, which explains the blue dye. Looks like it was done back then. Not a lot of selfies, but there’s one of him in a tee shirt that confirms Red’s suspicions about more tattoos. He can’t see what the one on his arm is either though, thanks to the angle. 

Before he really crosses the line, he closes out Instagram and sets his phone down. 

The guy had barely noticed him. Red’s actually interested for once, his dog likes the guy, he’s single, but he hadn’t even remembered Red’s name. How the hell is his luck suddenly this bad? 

There has to be a way he can blame Faraday for this. 

“Stands to reason, you’d eventually get turned down,” is what Goody says, without being asked, after him and Billy have sat down with Red by the firepit at the cook-out. They’ve been told the whole story, apparently. Because Faraday is a dick with a death wish. 

“Maybe you’re losing your looks,” Billy adds, because all his friends are dicks. Which is probably why they’re friends. 

But then Goody says, “Now, _cher_, let’s not start talking crazy,” and Red smirks at Billy’s flat look. “Don’t be like that, you know my heart is well and truly spoken for.” He takes a look around the yard. “He’s not here yet?” 

Red shakes his head, but right as he does, Blue and Jack, the both of them having positioned themselves near the grill, shoot up and start barking at the sliding door. He whistles, but Blue is too wound up with Jack by her side, so he gets up to grab her before she does anything dumb to the guy coming into the backyard. 

“You must be Jack,” the guy says, to Jack, being restrained by Faraday now. Sort of. Jack is definitely getting some traction.

“Well, at least you’re consistent.” Emma is right behind the guy now, so Red figures he must be her husband. “Watch out, Teddy,” she calls over her shoulder. 

“No tackling,” Faraday hisses to Jack. “Sit, come on man, please.” Jack reluctantly obeys, whining.

But it’s Blue who slips Red’s grip and squeezes her way past Emma and her husband to get to Teddy, standing in the doorway now. “Hey, pretty girl,” he says, getting his hands into her scruff. “Good to see you again. Thank you for not knocking me down.” 

“It just means Jack loves you more,” Faraday says, shoving Jack’s bulk towards Vasquez. “Vas, help me out.” 

“Sorry, Jack, looks like Miss Bluebell stole your boyfriend,” Vasquez says, getting Jack by the collar and pulling him over to his chair. 

“Aw, like father, like daughter,” Faraday says, but when Red glares at him, he adds, “Kidding, kidding. Red hates everyone I date. And most people in general.” Because that’s so much more fucking helpful, but at least this time, Vasquez looks offended too, and Faraday gets a clue. “C’mon, cooler’s over here.”

Emma and her husband follow Faraday, and since everyone else is sitting, that leaves Red alone with Teddy. And Blue, who is circling Teddy, her tail wagging. 

“You’re such a sweet girl,” Teddy praises, trying to follow her head with his hand. When he looks up at Red though, he ducks his head back down for a second, sticking his hands in his back pockets. 

He looks good out of scrubs. Really good. He also looks like he’s gotten some sleep. 

“Hi,” he says to Red. “Emma and Vasquez both tell me that I wasn’t too with it when we met before. Sorry about that.” He looks up at Red again. “Is the fact there should have been another of me in that clinic for the past couple of months, and I work for those two,” he hitches his chin in Vasquez and Emma’s general direction, “A decent enough excuse?” 

Emma’s not doing anything in particular, but Vasquez has Jack half in his lap. Not a great idea, since he’s sitting in one of the canvas chairs. 

“Blue likes you.” 

“And it might even be for my personality, unlike Jack over there,” Teddy says, crouching down in front of her. Might be wishful thinking, but he’s acting kind of nervous around Red now. The good kind. “Maybe you know we got a lot in common, huh, Miss Blue Skies? I like running the Kawshek Trail too.”

“How do you know she likes that trail?” Hell, Faraday probably couldn’t even name one of the places Red likes to run, so there’s no way in hell Vasquez dropped that in conversation. 

Teddy sits back from Blue and stands up again. “I swear I am not a crazy stalker, or anything.” He pauses a long time, but Red just waits for the explanation. “Vas and Emma were making fun of me when we were all over at her house the other day.” He bites his lip, but keeps going when Red still doesn’t say anything. He wants to hear this. “Vas brought up your Instagram.” 

Teddy kind of looks like he wants to maybe die. Either that, or start laughing. It’s not a bad look on him. 

“Why’d I come up?” Red thinks he can guess why, but he wants to be sure. For one, he’s not looking to make this afternoon awkward. And for two, the effort it would take to transfer Blue to another vet again sounds like a lot more work than he wants to bother with. 

“Apparently, it’s real funny how much I don’t notice when I’m dead on my feet.” He rocks back on his heels. “Like new clients staring at my ass when I’m not paying attention.”

He should have known Vasquez would rat him out. It’s not like they’re friends. “Was trying to see the tattoo.” 

“Oh, right,” Teddy drawls, nodding. “It does go down pretty far, but not that far.” 

“Mostly the tattoo,” Red admits. “How far down?” 

“Middle of my back.” 

That’s impressive. Maybe an invitation, too, but Red’s not quite sure, so he tests it. “Going to let me see?”

Teddy laughs, pushing his hair back. “You’re going to have to at least take me out for a drink, first.” He’s gotten close enough to Red, or maybe Red got closer, that they’re just past polite.

“Think I can manage that.”


End file.
